Bursa Malaysia pares losses, closes lower as Asian markets slide

Malaysia's Bursa benchmark index closed lower on Thursday, falling 11.02 points to 1,737.15, dragged by a regional sell-off despite selective heavyweight buying. Decliners edged out gainers, with 577 losers versus 566 gainers and 574 unchanged. About 3.24 billion shares worth RM2.91 billion traded. Heineken, Nestlé, and Carlsberg led drops; MRCB rose after securing a rail contract. Foreign and local institutions bought net RM54 million and RM115 million in equities, while retailers sold RM169 million. The ringgit strengthened slightly; regional Asian markets mostly fell.